Orthodox Dazzled at Ascot and Aims to Become the Next Great Sprinting Star
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Trained by Clive Cox and with Rossa Ryan in his reins, he clearly defeated the outsider El Floridita
BERKSHIRE, England (Special for Turf Diario).– Among so many established names and memorable performances that Royal Ascot 2026 has been delivering, Saturday left room for a new illusion to be born. His name is Orthodox, an undefeated colt who confirmed everything expected of him with a resounding victory in the Norfolk Stakes (G2-1000 m, turf), one of the most important competitions for 2-year-old sprinters.
Presented by Clive Cox and ridden by Rossa Ryan, the son of Havana Grey showed himself to be far superior to his rivals, defeating them by 3 1/2 lengths after a performance that sparked enthusiasm among specialists and projects him toward the major goals of the generation.
A winner on his debut at Salisbury, Orthodox arrived with excellent morning references, though he still had to prove he could transfer that potential to a stage as demanding as Royal Ascot. He did so with absolute authority.
While the American representatives of Wesley Ward set a strong pace from the start, Orthodox traveled comfortably behind the leaders. When Ryan asked him for an effort with two furlongs remaining, the response was immediate. With a remarkable acceleration, he swept past all his opponents and drew away toward the wire with an impressive ease.
Behind him, the outsider El Floridita (Havana Grey), quoted at 150/1, delivered an outstanding performance to claim second place, while Mussab (Ten Sovereigns) completed the board.
"At Salisbury we had barely seen a fraction of what he could do," Cox explained. "Since then he started working alongside older horses and consistently surprised us. I think we are looking at a truly special individual."
The trainer went even further by comparing him to some of the best figures he has conditioned in the past. "I trained Heartache (Kyllachy) and Heartwarming (Showcasing), two very good fillies from this family, but this horse is on another level," he assured.
The impression was also massive for Rossa Ryan, who did not hide his enthusiasm after the race: "When I settled behind the group and asked him to accelerate, I thought, 'Now you are going to see what he is capable of.' What he showed today is exactly what we've been seeing in the mornings," the jockey commented.
Ryan also highlighted one of the aspects that draws the most attention about the colt: his temperament: "He is incredibly calm. He is still learning, but mentally he is different from any horse I have ever ridden. He has natural speed, a fantastic physique, and I think stepping up to 1200 meters will not be a problem at all," he stated.
Precisely that distance seems to be the next logical step for Orthodox. Cox considers that the 1000 meters will soon be too short for him and is already thinking about larger-scale objectives during the European summer.
For the surprising El Floridita, the defeat tasted like victory. The small sprinter trained by Nigel Tinkler had been partially sold during the week for 100,000 pounds and responded with a performance that multiplied his sporting value.
However, all attention remained focused on Orthodox. In an edition of Royal Ascot that has already consecrated several figures, the son of Havana Grey was one of the colts that caused the greatest visual impact. And if he confirms in the coming months what he displayed this Friday, the Norfolk Stakes could well be remembered as the starting point for a new European sprinting star.
